More than half the fun of reading a book lies in the imagination. When I read, I love picturing what characters look like, where they are and what they’re doing as I read. And now, it’s a bit easier to imagine what they’re eating, too. ‘Fictitious Dishes: An Album of Literature’s Most Memorable Meals’ is a new book featuring photos of meals from classic literature like ‘Heidi’ and ‘To Kill A Mockingbird.’ Graphic designer and author Dinah Fried cooked, styled and photographed all 50 of the book’s plates inspired by her favorite novels, both classic and contemporary.
Each still life is shot from above, to best resemble what the character would see before digging in. The book started as a series of photographs when Fried was a student at Rhode Island School of Design.
I heard an interview with Fried on NPR’s All Things Considered the other day and I could perfectly picture the meals she described in her book, such as the dirt pile eaten in ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ by the late Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The book looks truly incredible,— I would love to recreate some of the dishes from my favorite tomes, too. Literary dinner party, anyone? You can see some more preview photos on the book’s website or buy the book. // susannah
(Photos // Dinah Fried)
Courtney says
The Great Gatsby spread is beautiful! It makes me want to go to a classy party. 🙂
katie says
What a fun and interesting concept! I’m loving the Alice and Gatsby spreads. Throwing a dinner party themed like a book or two would be so much fun! Thanks for sharing.
Susannah says
Oh yes! I would definitely come to either of those 😉